


Flannel and Hot Chocolate

by fandomshere_fandomsthere



Series: Tumblr Prompts [1]
Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Barry is a cute bean, F/M, Fluff, Some sort of AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-10-11
Updated: 2016-10-11
Packaged: 2018-08-21 19:46:07
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,138
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8258264
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fandomshere_fandomsthere/pseuds/fandomshere_fandomsthere
Summary: Thank God for the kindness of attractive strangers.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Written from a prompt that can be found here! http://perfectlyrose.tumblr.com/post/112473966320/its-so-darn-cold-outside-aus

            It was decided. You fucking _hated_ winter. Well, maybe not winter itself so much as the blizzards that tended to accompany it. The cold was tolerable, and snow was beautiful when it painted the world white and fell in huge, fat flakes, but when the wind blew so hard and cold that it stung your face and made it hard to breathe, you found yourself wishing for spring. There was nothing in the world that was worth braving frostbite-inducing winds and icy sidewalks.

            Nothing except for the hot chocolate from the coffee shop three blocks from your apartment that is.

            You burst into the little shop, the jingle bells on the door ringing violently as a gust of wind fought to invade the warmth. You stomped your feet on the rug in front of the door, ridding your boots of as much snow as you could so you wouldn’t get the wood floors too wet. Once you were satisfied with the cleanliness of your boots, you walked up to the counter, your thick coat beginning to feel a little too warm.

            “Good morning,” the cashier said brightly, giving you a polite smile. “What can I get for you today?”

            “Just a hot chocolate, please,” you said. “Lots of marshmallows if you could.” The cashier typed something into the computer at the counter.

            “Two seventy-five,” she said. You reached in your coat pocket for your wallet only to find it wasn’t there.

            “Oh, come on,” you groaned. You looked back at the cashier, your cheeks burning with embarrassment. “I must have left my wallet at home. I’m so sorry.” Before the cashier could say anything, someone else has slid a five dollar bill across the counter.

            “I’ll pay for it,” he said, and your cheeks burned brighter.

            “No, no, no, you don’t have to do that!” you said quickly. The man next to you shrugged.

            “It’s no big deal. Everyone forgets things.” He smiled slightly at you, his blue-green eyes twinkling. “And you walked here in the name of hot chocolate. That’s dedication.”

            “Uh, well, thank you,” you stuttered.

            “I’m Barry by the way,” he said, sticking out his hand. You shook it and gave him your name. The cashier had gotten your hot chocolate by now, and she handed Barry his change.

            “Thanks Suzy,” he said. He pocketed his change, gave you another small smile, and left the shop, pulling his thick flannel jacket tighter around him to keep out the cold. You gave Suzy a thank you, noticing that she was barely holding in her smile, and sat down at a table. The hot chocolate was burning.

            The next time you went to the shop, the wind was barely blowing and the snow was falling lazily. You hadn’t forgotten your wallet this time, so you bought your hot chocolate without a fuss. The thick, rich, liquid warmed you to the core when you took a sip, and you sighed quietly in contentment. This is what life was about: a nice cup of hot chocolate on a cold day.

            The bells on the door jingled, and in walked Barry, in that same thick flannel coat, his face tucked into the thick red knitted scarf around his neck. A few snowflakes were stuck in his hair as well as his beard. Your face burned and you looked down at your phone, hoping that he hadn’t noticed you staring. It had been a few days since you’d forgotten your wallet. You weren’t even sure he would remember who you were. Barry toed the snow off of his boots and went up to the counter. He chatted with Suzy while she made his coffee.

            You tried not to stare, you really did. But Barry was just so nice to look at, with his dark hair and strong build. He was one of those people who looked like a walking teddy bear. You frequently glanced up at him from your phone, and you thought you saw Suzy smirk in your direction. You sipped your hot chocolate and looked out the window, silently denying whatever she was accusing you of. Suzy handed Barry his coffee and nodded in your direction. You quickly made it look like you were scrolling through your phone rather than staring at him, and you missed the smile that stretched across his face when he saw you.

            “Do you mind if I sit with you?” Barry asked. You looked up, a little startled.

            “Uh, no, not at all,” you said, hoping that the heat you felt in your cheeks wasn’t too easy to see. Barry gave you a small smile before shrugging off his coat. Your eyes flickered to his arms, the sleeves of a blue flannel rolled up to his elbows. All the flannel accompanied with his dark beard reminded you of a lumberjack.

            “So I have to ask,” Barry said as he sat down, holding his mug with both hands, “how far do you have to walk to get here?”

            “About three blocks,” you said. “Maybe I should have stayed home the other day, but I think the hot chocolate was worth it.” Barry chuckled, and you felt your stomach flutter.

            “I can’t argue with that,” Barry agreed, his eyes twinkling. You smiled at him, and the two of you started to chat. You learned that he’d grown up in Los Angeles but had come here to New York City to go to college and had liked it so much he’d decided to stay. He laughed when you called him crazy for wanting to brave the winters here rather than stay in sunny California.

            “Well, I got to meet you,” Barry said, his cheeks a little pink and a small smile on his face. Heat rushed to your face and you sipped your hot chocolate, speechless, looking down at the table. A slightly awkward silence fell between the two of you. You looked at Barry through your eyelashes and smiled slightly at his red cheeks.

            “Hey,” you said, looking back up at him. “I feel like I should repay you for buying my drink the other day.”

            “You don’t need to do that,” Barry said.

            “I insist,” you pressed. “Let me buy you a coffee some time.”

            “But—oh.” Barry blinked before he smiled slightly. “Yeah, sure. That sounds nice.” You fished a pen out of your purse and grabbed a napkin from the table, writing your name and number on it and sliding it across the table.

            “Let me know when’s good for you,” you said as you stood up. Barry picked up the napkin and looked at you, smiling brightly, causing your heart to flutter a bit.

            “Yeah. I’ll do that,” he said. You bid him goodbye and headed out the door. Suzy gave you a thumbs up on your way out, and you blushed.


End file.
